


Gray

by loracarol



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Depression, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Future Fic, M/M, Multi, Poison Apples, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-02 04:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16779703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loracarol/pseuds/loracarol
Summary: One minute Arthur is crunching through autumn leaves, the next he's on a grass-lined path with apple trees on both sides, and a strange figure offering him a chance to finally,finallyrest. Future OT3: I'll tag it when the OT3 elements start to actually take place in fic. :D





	1. An Apple A Day

**Author's Note:**

> I've been feeling kind of down bc seasonal depression is making my _actual_ depression worse, so _that's_ a thing. 
> 
> So I decided to project it on Arthur, as you do. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Please note the tags. 
> 
> \---
> 
> BC I didn't feel like doing into backstory, this takes place in a future AU after Lewis finds out the truth and has forgiven Arthur & Shiromori has been taken care of, so Mystery feels safe to shift into kitsune form more often.

The fog sprang up, and for a moment Arthur thought he should be terrified, but the fog was gray and he was so used to gray it took him a moment to realize. It was only green that haunted his nightmares anyhow. He had just been with the others, and then as quickly as walking through a door, the world before his eyes was nothing but mist. He stopped, listening for any sound that would indicate the direction his friends had gone. While Lewis tended not to make noise anymore, given his spectral nature, Vivi and Mystery had been crunching through the autumn leaves not moments before.

There was nothing.

“Vivi? Mystery?” He paused, and when he spoke again, he couldn’t help the nerves that filled his voice. “…Lewis?” He still wasn’t one hundred percent sure where he stood with Lewis, after everything. Lewis had found out the truth - that Arthur _technically_ hadn’t murdered him, and Arthur had learned just the opposite; Lewis was dead, and it was his fault. He was dead, and by Arthur’s own hand. And maybe Lewis didn’t want to kill Arthur anymore, but that didn’t necessarily hold true for the others in their gang. Arthur included.

He shook his head. He’d been trapped in more and more downward spirals, but even when his mind had dropped all the way to rock bottom, something talked him out of committing the final plunge. If he cut his wrists, someone would have to clean up the blood. If he stepped in front of traffic, some poor sod would have to live with that on his conscience. If he overdosed, he’d have to find a safe place to do it where no one would stumble across his body. If Lance was the one who found his body, Arthur’d never forgive himself.

It was so _goddamn_ quiet. Where were the others?

All around him the mist swirled, and he tried not to shudder. While the mist wasn’t _green_ , that didn’t mean he was _fond_ of it. It was damp, and clammy, and while his prosthetic was set up to be as water resistant as he could manage, his injury - _shit_ , the place where his arm had been _torn off_ still ached in the damp.

While he’d give anything to switch their places, he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Not that he could blame Mystery, really. Now that he knew the truth behind what had happened. He just wished Mystery could have been faster. That he had been stronger. He should have been the one to fall on the spikes.

He shook his head again. He had to move; standing in one place was going to keep his mind going in circles, and he just _didn’t need that_. Turning around as best as he could, he decided he’d at least try and get to the van. He could call them from the va- wait. Pulling out his cell, he frowned. His phone was dead. He could have sworn he’d had it charging in the van on their way in, but maybe the charger had gotten loose. He’d have to check when he got there; hopefully it was just a cable issue. At the very least, he could try and charge his phone at the van, maybe do some basic troubleshooting, and/or meet them there.

As he walked through the fog, his frown deepened, and he couldn’t help but yawn. He was so tired, but when wasn’t he? He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten a good night’s sleep. Snapping back to attention, he glared into the gray mist surrounding him. He could have sworn he’d walked back far enough to at least be back on the trail! And yet the ground below him was still the same soft grass he’d stumbled onto when the fog first fell. While it was possible that he could have gotten turned around, he was sure he’d gone as close to 180 degrees as possible when he’d turned around. He called out to the others again, just in case, and still there was nothing.

There was nothing else to do, so he kept walking forward, taking hesitant steps, and feeling around on the ground before putting his weight down. After all, it would be just his luck to find a cliff the hard way. And even if that was what he deserved, he couldn’t do that to the others; he couldn’t just disappear like that. Not after what had happened to Lewis.

The fog began to clear, and soon he could see the trees around him. No longer was he surrounded by the oranges and reds of autumn. Instead he was surrounded by soft pinks and whites that shifted to green the farther along he looked. Squinted as the mist vanished, he realized shortly that wherever he’d ended up, there were apple trees. Apple trees in all states of growth. Where he was, they were still in the bloom of spring, but the further he walked, he began to see trees heavy with the bounty of autumn.

“Well, this is some supernatural bullshit.” He muttered, crossing his arms defensively. He turned to walk away, traces of the fog still trailing around his feet. As he moved away, the tendrils tightened their grip, and he frowned, staring at the ground. When he reached down, the fog slipped through his hands, but as he tried to move back, it was like being held by ropes. A distant part of him wanted to scream, but he couldn’t make anything come out. It was hard to rouse himself from the apathy he’d found himself drowning in. So something weird was happening, so what. At least it was only happening to him - right?

Sighing, he continued to move further into the grove, moving ever closer to the apples that were the ripest, until he reached the largest tree in the weird patch of reality he’d found himself in. There was silence for a moment, before a sound like the wind in the leaves, and a figure stepped out of the tree. They had skin the color of the bark they’d just stepped out of, and it was textured the same. For eyes they had knots, inside of which there was a green glow, like leaves through sunlight. Their hair - or what passed as it - was branches of green, and around their body they wore a shift of pink petals. When they spoke, it was with with the sound like branches creaking.

“Come in, child, and rest.” They gestured, and one of the branches lowered, groaning as it did so to form a seat.

_Fuck_ he was tired. He stumbled forward, the warmth from the sun above making him drowsy. When was the last time he’d had a good night’s sleep? Not since before the cave, that was for damn sure. “What do you want?” He asked flatly, collapsing.

“What makes you think I want anything?”

“I’m not stupid. And I’ve dealt with supernatural stuff before.”

“I only wish to offer you a place to rest,” the being said, before reaching up and plucking an apple from the tree they were under. They held it out to Arthur. It was shining and red, and it reminded him too much of a red delicious.

As soon as that thought crossed Arthur’s mind, the apple changed until it looked more like a fuji, and Arthur raised one eyebrow. “What’s the catch? And don’t try to bullshit me, I’ve seen Snow White.”

“It will help you rest,” the being repeated. Looming over Arthur as it held out the apple.

Arthur snorted. “But for how long?” he asked, taking the apple. Fuck him if it wasn’t tempting. Rubbing his thumb over the surface, he could easily imagine the first crisp bite he would take.

The being seemed more puzzled then anything else, as it watched Arthur, head cocked like a bird. “You’re not refusing it.”

“I’m tired,” Arthur whispered, dropping his head. Everything in his body ached, and his mind was just gray gray _gray_.

“You won’t be tired ever again.”

Arthur sighed. “It’ll kill me, then.” He shook his head, “I’m not stupid. Unless,” he continued sarcastically, “True love’s kiss can break the spell, like in the fairy tales.”

“Would that make you more likely to take a bite?” The being said, looking out past the mist with something that almost looked like alarm.

“Why the fuck not. It’s not like,” he stopped, and stared at the apple in his hand. “It’s not like I have anyone.” He loved Vivi and Lewis with all his heart, but true love’s kiss only worked in the movies because the kissee was in love with the person who was cursed. He saw how they looked at each other, he’d seen it even before the cave. They were so much in love it almost hurt. In contrast, he was just… Arthur. Too much in love with them to leave them, and too much of a coward to let them know the truth.

The being reached out a branched-fingertip and the surface of the apple shimmered. “Hurry,” they snapped, “take a bite before they get in!”

Over the sound of the wind in the trees he could hear heavy thuds, like someone pounding against a huge door. A door. People. Vivi and Lewis. He didn’t want to vanish on them. “Will my frie- will they know what happened? Will they know that I didn’t just disappear on them?”

“Yes, yes! Now just eat it already!” The being snapped. “I’m in need of _something_ to feed my trees, so just _take that first bite_.”

Looking out to the mist, Arthur noted that the formerly impenetrable fog looked shattered, and he understood the being's change in attitude. Slipping off his vest and hitting the release button in his arm, he left both things in a pile, and nodded at the being. “Neither of those things decompose. Make sure my friends find them.” Pink fire was burning away the mist as Arthur lifted the apple to his mouth. The first bite was crisp and sweet, and it was the best apple he’d ever tasted.

Outside, the fog exploded away, the trees melting away like mist on a lake, including the one Arthur was sitting one. From the ground, he watched as pink flames were hurled at the being, and they screamed as the sap inside of them popped and sizzled. Arthur couldn’t move. Everything felt so heavy as he lay on the ground and watched. Even his eyelids felt a million times heavier, and every time he blinked, he wondered what the point was of reopening them. The apple had slipped from his hand as he fell, and he wondered distantly where it had gone. Not that it, or anything, mattered. Black was haloing his vision, as he found it harder and harder to stay conscious. Lewis was kneeling down next to him, and he was saying something, but Arthur couldn’t hear it. He couldn’t focus on anything anymore, really. He wanted to tell Lewis it wasn’t his fault, but words wouldn’t come out. He wondered vaguely if he’d have died quicker if he’d eaten more of the apple. He hadn’t wanted Lewis to see him like this. Or Vivi, he noted blankly as he saw her come up behind the ghost. She was talking too, but his eyes were fluttering closed, and he couldn’t find it in himself to stay ali- _awake_. The last thing he saw before slipping completely into darkness were his friends, and he hoped that they could someday forgive him.


	2. Awkward Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vivi tries to hold on.

It was supposed to be a nice day. A nice couple of days. A vacation. They’d spent so long dealing with all sorts of shit. This was just supposed to be _fun._ They’d pooled their funds and were renting a cabin. They were supposed to have a _nice time_. They were supposed to reminisce, and watch dumb movies, and at least _try_ to get back to where they had been before. It wasn’t supposed to be a weekend where everything was fixed, but it was supposed to be a weekend where they could try healing a little.

They had been on a hike when the fog took them all by surprise. It slammed down and cut off Arthur from the rest of the group, startling the hell out of the others. Vivi didn’t scream, but she did yell “ _What the fuck?_ ” as loudly as she could because _no one_ took _her -_ Arthur away. She tried to step into the fog, to find what had happened, but it was as impenetrable as glass. There was a beat, then Lewis was floating in front of the fog in full ghostly glory to one side of her, Mystery in full kitsune form to the other. Vivi didn’t have much with her, but she grabbed a stick off the ground, and slapped some talismans on it, ready to kick some ass. There was a twinned roar that echoed through the woods, and pink flames were flickering against the unnatural fog, meeting the same resistance and burning through it.

“What the _fuck_ was that?” Lewis growled, summoning more flames.

“I didn’t have a chance to find out,” Mystery snapped back, fear and worry texturing his tone. He was slamming against the barrier, teeth back in a snarl, all hints that he was anything but a normal dog completely forgotten.

There was a part of Vivi that hoped they were overreacting. That wanted desperately to believe that whatever was happening was just an odd quirk, or a weird twist of fate, and that Arthur would be fine. That they’d have to make their apologies to whatever being was on the other side for behaving to roughly. But as she swung her stick into the fog, and watched as the talismans spiderwebbed the fog everywhere she hit, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of being would think that the fog had been a good idea.

The fog shattered, and they rushed through to a grassy lane lined with disappearing apple trees. Lewis flew ahead, Vivi following behind. She stopped to look back at Mystery, but he shook his head. “Go, I’ll clean up.” Vivi nodded, and kept running as Mystery continued to break apart the fog with his tails. Arthur was -

Arthur was-

All thoughts fled from her mind as she caught up. He was lying collapsed on the ground. The color was gone from his face. She couldn’t see him moving - was he even breathing? He was so still. He wasn’t moving. He looked almost translucent. Why wasn’t his chest moving? Why wasn’t he breathing? Why was he so pale? He was as pale as Lewis’s skull. _Why wasn’t he moving_? Even in in his sleep he moved. _He needed to start breathing_. She put two fingers against his wrist to check his pulse. Her hands were shaking, and she hated it. He had a pulse, sluggish, but there. One beat when she counted to thirty. Another that took just as long to be felt. With a wince, she slapped his face, but all that did was cause a brief redness in his cheek before it faded away. She couldn’t breathe, Arthur was breathing, right? There was an apple on the ground. One bite was taken out. She had plastic bags on her. In theory so she’d look like a responsible dog owner. In practise because they came in handy during cases. Lewis was talking, but she couldn’t hear it. She scooped the apple into a bag, and tied it shut. Arthur still wasn’t moving. What was Lewis saying? She ought to listen. She ought to say something. She ought to… She ought to… Her vision swam, and she brushed the tears from her eyes wildly.

Lewis was on the other side of Arthur, then. He was lifting Arthur up. Arthur had been on the ground. She was still on the ground. When had she collapsed? Arthur was in Lewis’s arms, being held as gently as a baby bird. Mystery was next to her, and he helped Vivi up. She leaned into Mystery as he nudged her. They were near the cabin. She’d done her research, and she thought she’d found a decent place - one with no supernatural history at all. It was supposed to be a vacation. Arthur's arm was on the ground. She picked it up in a daze, along with his vest, and wondered what the _fuck_ had happened.

The walk back to the cabin was silent. Even if she’d known what to say, nothing could have passed the lump in her throat. She didn’t realize how much she was depending on Mystery to stay upright until they reached the building itself, and Mystery slipped out of her touch.

“I thought I’d set some wards,” he explained, hunched in on himself. He nuzzled Vivi gently, and she nodded. Wards were good. Safety was good. She reached out, and grabbed Arthur’s wrist, holding her breath until she felt his blood pulse. He was still alive. That was good. She unlocked the door, and Lewis floated in. He might have said something. She couldn’t remember. She hesitated, before shutting and locking the door behind her. Mystery could use the doorbell.

“He hates sleeping in his jeans,” she said, feeling far away. “I’ll set up the couch bed.” She put the prosthetic down on the coffee table next to the couch. 

Lewis nodded, and she went to set out the blankets. Part of why the place was high on her list of desired places was the couch bed. It was large enough for the three of them together, and Mystery, and the place had a TV with an HDMI port. They were going to drink shitty alcohol, watch dumb movies, and pretend that they were normal people. She had all of their favorites. Even the cheesy Disney movies that Lewis pretended he only liked because of his sisters. Arthur claimed he only watched them for his hamster. Vivi had used to blame Mystery until he’d started talking to them, and denying it.

She put down the sheet she’d brought, and fluffed up the pillow. Snapping on blanket over the bed, she tried to focus on the texture of the blanket as she smoothed it down. She tried to focus just on the texture, nothing else. One blanket, then two, then a third and an unzipped sleeping bag because she hadn’t been sure how good the insulation was going to be, and it was fall. The doorbell rang, and Vivi went to let Mystery in. He was in dog form again, and he leaned against her legs for just a moment, before going into the cabin proper. Vivi relocked the door behind him. Better safe than sorry.

Lewis had gotten Arthur changed into a pair of sweats and an older t-shirt. He lay Arthur down in the bed, tucking him in with a gentleness that belied his ghostly visage. 

Vivi reached over, smoothing down the blankets around Arthur's unconscious form, and checking his pulse under his chin. It was still slow, but it was still there. Mystery hopped on the bed, and curled up against Arthur’s side.

She needed something to do. She needed something to distract her. Standing up, she went to the kitchen to top off Mystery’s bowl, and give him dinner. Lewis followed, she could feel his heat against her back, but she still couldn’t - she still didn’t -

Mystery’s bowls were still full. She must have refilled them before their walk. She stared at the fridge. She knew she should eat something. She opened the fridge mechanically. A tupperware sat on the top shelf. She stared at it. Arthur’s pizza was in it; the weird seafood pizza that only he really liked. They had stopped and got it special for him before they’d left. The smile he’d given when he saw had been tentative, but it was a start. She hadn’t seen him smile like that in… Since before the cave. As she stared at the _stupid_ tupperware, she could feel tears roll down her cheeks as the dam finally burst. What if Arthur didn’t wake up? What if he died?

Pulling her glasses off so she could deal with the tears, she froze …What if he just slipped away completely? She was spoiled, she knew, with Lewis's coming back. What if Arthur died, and that was just the end?

Sobs echoed out of her as only her grip on the fridge door kept her upright. Lewis was still behind her, hugging her as she sobbed into the open refrigerator. Letting go of the handle, she turned into Lewis’s embrace, kicking the fridge door shut as she did so. He held onto her, and she to him, and she wondered if this was how she would have reacted if she had remembered Lewis after the cave incident. If she had been able to really _grieve_ his passing. Not that she would ever say that to him, of course. He hadn't meant to remove everything, just the sight of him impaled on the stalagmites. She couldn't really blame him for that. He was rubbing soothing circles into her back, and he was murmuring… Something. She couldn’t hear what over her own cries. It didn’t matter, she just held on. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity, just letting themselves _be_ in each other’s company.

Slowly her sobs began to wind down, and she began to feel the emptiness that came after. She needed something to drink - water, she needed water, so she wouldn’t get dehydrated, and she knew she’d need to eat something soon else she get a migraine in the middle of the night. But she couldn’t comprehend functioning. She couldn’t even think about making toast. She was just tired, and honestly, terrified. Lewis had already died, Arthur wasn’t going to follow - right?

Right?

She stepped out of Lewis’s embrace. “I must look like a mess, huh?”

“ _Never_ , Vivi.”

“I’m too tired to call you out on your lies,” Vivi muttered, with a quirk in the corner of her mouth that could have been called the beginning of a smile. It was as far as she could get under the circumstances.

“Why don’t you go take a shower,” Lewis said, leaning forward so that they were forehead to forehead. “I’ll get some dinner started, and then we can figure this out.”

Vivi nodded, wiping away another stray tear. This wasn’t the cave. She still could remember Arthur. Arthur had a pulse, and was in as many pieces as he had been before the incident. He was with them, they had Mystery on their side, they could _fix this_. Turning to leave, she’d barely gotten three stops from the kitchen when a noise stopped her. Turning back, she froze in the doorway. Lewis was leaning against the counter, head in hand. His body was shaking, like he was crying but trying to hide it. She knocked on the door jam, so he wouldn’t panic, and he immediately straightened up.

“Lewis?” She asked, hesitating.

“Vivi-! I...” He looked at her, hair flickering, and flames dripping down his face. A deadbeat was by his side, trying to brush the tears away. “I just need a minute, I don’t want to…” He gestured at the flames, and Vivi nodded, after hesitating. Maybe his flames weren't something that wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe it was something they could test out.

Maybe this wasn’t the best time to do an experiment.

Instead, she blew him a kiss and went to shower.

After her shower she put on her pajamas, and went to join Mystery and Arthur on the bed. Lewis had made food, and she ate it without really knowing or caring what it was. His hair was still flickering, but not as much as it had been, and she cuddled with him. She just wanted to know that she wasn’t alone. Mystery was still curled up with Arthur, though he’d moved so that his head was on Arthur’s chest.

“I don’t know how much use I’ll be,” Mystery cautioned, when Vivi pulled out the bag with the apple she’d found next to Arthur. “I may have been…” He paused, and looked away as though embarrassed, “I may have been overzealous with the wards I put up.” His tail was tucked low, and his ears were flat back, as though he was worried Vivi and Lewis would be _angry_ with him.

“How safe are we?” Lewis asked, catch in his voice.

“ _I_ couldn’t break in.” Mystery replied, the tip of his tail wagging slightly, and his ears perking up just a hint.

“Thank you, Mystery.” Vivi said, scratching Mystery behind the ear. “How’s Arthur been doing?”

“His heartbeat is steady, but still slower than it should be.” The kitsune replied, “I can do a basic test to see what we’re dealing with, but we might have to wait until tomorrow if we can. I exhausted a lot of power, both earlier when we were trying to get in, and then on the wards. I’ve also hidden the wards, so no one comes to see what we’re keeping safe.”

“Let's do what we can.” Vivi said firmly, opening the bag. The flesh of the apple was still as crisp and white as it’d been when they’d found it, and she couldn’t help but be unsettled by it.

For a moment there was silence as Mystery sat up, his eyes glowing, and a faint smell of cyprus filling the air. The apple shone in the light, and for a moment, Vivi wanted to take the fruit and eat it herself. It smelled perfect, like a dream version of an apple. Instead she held onto Lewis’s hands tighter, and bit her lip. Finally, the smell dissipated, and Mystery’s eyes returned to normal. “There are two bits of magic running through this,” he said, frowning as best as a dog could. “The first is simple, it was supposed to just kill him outright, but then a second curse was laid over it. The second curse is why he’s still alive. But…” He sighed, and dropped back down. “I ran out of energy before I could tell you the cure. What I _can_ say is that the first curse was negated; whoever overlaid the second did in a hurry, and was sloppy. He won’t die by lifting the second curse.”

“Will he be okay overnight?” Lewis asked, a deadbeat patting Arthur’s face. The poor things were curling around Arthur like upset cats, and Vivi couldn’t blame them.

“Yes.” Mystery said, nuzzling Arthur’s cheek. “He should be fine overnight, but I want to check again in the morning..“

VIvi let out a thankful sigh, and tied the apple bag shut once more. “Lewis, can you hide this? It was... Tempting me earlier, but I don’t want to destroy it until we can fix this.”

Lewis’s grip on her hand tightened for a moment, as he froze in horror, his hair flickering again. “Let me take care of that,” he said, holding onto the bag like it was a biohazard. He gave her a pseudo-peck on the cheek, and went off to hide the offending fruit.

“Will you be here for a little while?” Mystery asked, adjusting his glasses with his paw. “I’m starting to feel the effects of all the power I used today, but I’m loathe to leave him alone.”

“I’ll stay here.” Vivi said, brushing a stray piece of hair out of Arthur’s face. “I’ll keep watch.”

“Thank you,” Mystery said, giving her hand a small lick. “We’ll fix this”

“I hope so.”

“We _will_.” Mystery insisted, nuzzling her cheek, before heading into the kitchen to eat.

Vivi watched him go for a moment before turning back to Arthur. She was... Scared. She’d already lost Lewis, and even though she’d gotten him back, nothing would ever be the same; she didn’t want to lose Arthur too. She _couldn’t_ lose Arthur too. She couldn’t bear it. It was exactly the same as when Lewis had fallen - it was - everything was… _Exactly the same_.

“Shit,” she muttered, running her hand through her hair. It really _was_ the same. The same feelings, the same fears… Because - _oh_ \- she felt the same about Arthur as she did Lewis. “Shit,” she said again, dropping her head into her hands. She loved Arthur. The same way she loved Lewis. Oh _god_. She _loved_ him. _Fuck_.

...Now what?

She studied his face, noted the shadows under his eyes from his lack of sleep, the way his eyelashes fluttered against his skin… He had a relaxed expression, one that she hadn’t seen in far too long. She hoped he wasn’t dreaming. He had too many nightmares as it was. She felt for his pulse. Still slow. Still steady. Still _there_. She hoped they could figure this out.

What would she even say to him when he did? Did he even feel the same? And if he did, what did that mean for her and Lewis? For Arthur and Lewis? Would it be fair to tell him? She ought to tell Lewis, at least. They were a couple, it wouldn’t be fair.

She couldn’t help but stare at his mouth. She was watching for breaths, that was all. And he was breathing, but oh so _slowly_. Lips. Apple. Lewis was still out, Mystery was in the kitchen. She leaned down, and kissed him. His lips were surprisingly soft. They didn’t taste like anything, but that was fine; the last thing he’d eaten was that damned apple, and if they’d tasted like that, she’d have been worried.

Nothing happened. He didn’t stir. And why would he? They had no idea how the curse manifested, there was no reason to expect a kiss to be the answer. There was no reason to expect _her_ kiss to be the answer. She sighed, and got under the covers. That had been their original plan; stay in one bed the same way they’d used to on cold nights. There was no reason to make it _weird_. She needed sleep. They’d gotten up early to make the drive from their last case to the cabin, and that plus the events of the day had worn her out. She needed sleep, but she couldn’t - not yet. Not until someone else was there to keep an eye on Arthur. Just in case. She could feel her eyelids drooping, and tried not to let them close. Soon enough Lewis was back in the room, looking sheepish.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” he said, wringing his hands. “I saved the apple, but I was still so _angry_ , I couldn’t... How’s he doing?”

“He’s still breathing,” Vivi said, pulling Lewis into a hug. “He’s still breathing, but I don’t like this.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Lewis said, though she couldn’t help but note the worry in his tone. “Go ahead and sleep, I’ll keep watch.”

Vivi nodded, and curled up underneath the blankets. Mystery hopped on the bed with them, and curled up next to Arthur, head once more on his chest. Some of the deadbeats were still hanging around, and they too curled up around Arthur. She didn’t want to sleep. She wanted Arthur to be awake. She wanted _so many things_ , but they wouldn’t be able to do anything until the morning. And morning would come quicker if she at least _tried._ Closing her eyes, she counted her breaths and tried to focus on nothing but falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concrit would be welcome. :V I swear I'm not just saying that. |D This chapter was hard; what's the balance between an intentional writing technique to show a specific emotional state of mind vs. Bad Writing lmao. |D |D |D


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